The Ocean and Coastal Studies Building (OCSB) houses the university’s marine biology and marine sciences programs, including ecology, comparative physiology, and environmental theory and policy. Opened in July 2010, it is a research and teaching facility housing about 40 faculty researchers, approximately 100 graduate students, and visited daily by hundreds of undergraduate students studying in multiple science majors.

The university’s primary objectives in constructing the facility were to reinforce its position as a leading marine education and research institution, promote interdisciplinary teaching and research, and exceed sustainability standards by earning the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognition.

The OCSB unites all of the university’s oceanic and coastal science researchers on a single campus to foster collaboration. The cross-shaped building features a wing for the laboratories and a wing for office and teaching functions. Its walls are adorned by murals constructed of recycled glass by artist Dixie Friend Gay.

We researchers and graduate students, who used to be housed on a separate small campus several kilometers from the main teaching campus, are delighted to be close to each other, the undergrad student body, admistrators and service personnel, etc. Our closeness facilitates discussion and collaboration greatly enhanced since we moved to the OCSB.

Teaching Facilities

The Ocean and Coastal Studies Building has two lecture halls that house about 100 listeners each, and throughout campus there is one other large auditorium plus numerous classrooms. Almost all are equipped with modern computer facilities with internet, built-in overhead projectors, and sound equipment. Several are also equipped with remote video-sound access for teleconferences and distance education to the main campus at College Station, our sister campus at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and worldwide.

TAMUG Boats

The Small Boat Basin, adjacent to the Ocean and Coastal Studies Building, has available a cadre of vessels starting at about 17 ft. length for in-bay and bayou work, and going to medium size vessels that facilitate research offshore.

Jack K. Williams Library

The Jack K. Williams Library supports the mission of Texas A&M University at Galveston by providing access to services and collections in various formats to meet the curriculum, research, professional, intellectual, creative and personal needs of the TAMUG community and other information seekers.

The library wants to provide excellent facilities, user satisfaction, security, and the best possible collection to support diverse interests and emphasize marine and maritime studies.

Cafeteria

At the large TAMUG cafeteria, located near the Ocean and Coastal Studies Building, students and faculty can find delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner at a very low price. The meals change on a daily basis and servings can be tailored to individual taste and needs.

Food can be eaten either inside or taken away and enjoyed at one of the tables outdoor. The OCSB has its own tables overlooking the Galveston Ship Channel — an ideal location to eat undisturbed while watching bottlenose dolphins, pelicans and cormorants passing by.